Cloth laying machine



`lune 11,'1957 H, w BAX CLOTH LAYING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct. l5, 1955 ..Irlo

June 11, 1957 H- w, BAX 2,795,416

CLOTH LAYING MACHINE Filed Oct. 15, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

fever/[439x *Q BY l June l1, 1957 Filed oct. 15, 195;

H. w. BAx 2,795,416

CLOTH LAYING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 50x75 7a l, I

IN VEN TOR.

June 11, 1957 H. W. BAX 2,795,416

` CLOTH LAYING MACHINE Filed Oct. l5, A1.955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent@ `The invention lherein .disclosed relates to ycloth `laying machines.

()bjectsfo'f the invention-are to provide amachine of :this-character xwhichwill flay and ffo'ld the cloth smoothly land accurately and which .will be of relatively \s1mple /construction land Iadapted to be produced at vreasonable cost.

'Particular objects of the invention are .to --improve the fold forming and the lifter andfcatcher mechanisms.

IOther-desirablefobjectsand the `novel features of construction, Acombination land rel-ation vof parts through Whichtthepurposes of the invention-are attained, are'set l:forth and-will appearin the' course o'fthefollowing speci- 4cation. f

"The drawings-accompanying and'forming part of the specification illustrate Ja present 4commercial embodiment 'of the invention. Structure, -however, mayibe modified and changed =as Iregards the immediate illustration, all within the true intent and scope of the inventionfas'herecinafterdened and claimed.

Fig. 1in the drawings is a broken side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a broken sectional view of the carriage and right-hand catcher :cna larger scale, and ,showing the cloth ngripped-inthe catcher and the carriage travelling to -the left;

Fig. 3 isa further enlargedbroken sectional yview illustrating details of the automatic lift mechanism;

Figs. 4 and A5 `are broken sectional detail views ofthe pawl and ratchet rdrive for the automatic lift mechanism; l

Figs. 6to 'l1 Yare broken sectional an'd s omewhatdiagrammatic views illustratingsuccessive Vphases in the operation of spreading and folding the fabric;

Fig.'l2 is,a detail View withparts broken.away,;illus ltrating retracting movement of the left-hand catcher;

Fig. 13 is a broken part sectional rplan of thetretractin g toggle mechanism.

In the general view, Fig. 1, va .cloth .spreading -table kis indicated at 15,'having tracks 16 for the wheels 17.of `the cloth carrying carriage 18.

Fold catchers 1'9, 2i) are klocated at opposite vends of the table. These are alike so that the .description .of one will suffice for both.

The carriage is shown as having ,Open bearings .21,

22 for :the shaft 23 carrying the roll of .cloth 24.

Figs. l and 2 show the `path of ,the unwinding .cloth upward andover'the succession of guide vrods or rolls 25, 26, 27, ,'28, 29 to lthe main guide ,roller 30, .from whence vitpasses ldownwardbetween `the left and `right feeder or folderblades or bars ,31, 32.

Theseffeeder bars are shown carriedhy. dependent arms k33, `34, Ipivotally supported at .their upper ends at .35,

'3,6 on-supportingibars r37 attached to .brackets 38 which are guided up-over parallelrods 39 .and raised and -10W- `ered by screw shafts 40.

.The upright screwshafts 40 at opposite sides ofthe Patented June 11, 1957 lCe tenablesvertical vadjustmentsato be effected by hand and automatic liftoperation of .this shaft is `effected through the medium of saratchetrlfastfon the shaft, engageable by a pawl 46, Figs. 3 and 5, .pivoted at-247 -on an arm 48 pivota'lly hung at one end onthe shaft 41 and pivotally connected at the opposite end jby a link 49 with a -hori- Ezontalsslide S0.

yActuation of this ratchet turning slide iseifected yin the illustration `from ,a pushfrod 5=1 fslidingly mounted in ".the-.baseof the carriage, imposition-to engage adjust- .able stops 52,153 fat-cppositefends of-'the carriage travel .and `havingthe lower -.end of .a rock lever 54 pivotally :connectedxtherewithat 55, this lever'beingpivoted on the carriage at a point intermediate its ends, at 56, .and connectedf-atdtsupper end throughthe-medium of aswingving flink-..57 :screw ,threaded and :provided with nuts 58 .adjust-ablyengaging the aupper end rof-the lever.

The pivoted pawl is shown as weighted .to ,normally :engage the -ratchetso :that upon each .complete reciprocati0n-,of slided() the folder-blades will be vautomatically lifted Van amount `determinedby'rthe lsettingof the adjustableconectionzat 58. fAt` anytime, however, the weighted pawlmay rberheldfdisengaged from `the ratchet and the :crank 44 lbe :turned 5to `raise or llower :the frame .carrying the folder blades.

The catchers consist in each instance of a kvertically yoperable `clamp bar 59 having va :corrugated rubber of similar 'frictional gripping surface 60 and afcompanion lower. angular sgripping .member 61.

The `clamp vbars59rare 4showncarried by'lbrackets 62 secured in spaced .parallelzrelation :by stay-rods 63 and pin-s 64fsliding: in vertical slotsf65 in vthe stationary catcher the vright-hand lblade 32 `will engage and form the turn in the cloth, and with travel in the opposite direction the left-hand blade 31 will effect the similar, reverse function.

Thesebladesaresupported directly opposite in closely adjoining relation andthe forward blade, direction of motion considered, is'thc inactive one. To get this forward, inactive blade out ofthe way of the blade which is carrying the fold-into the grip of the catcher, special means are provided in the form of ramps or cam slopes 74 on 'the `brackets62, engageable by rollers 75 on the swingingiarms '33, 34 carryingithefolder blades. These arms, as Ashown inFig. '2, normally rest against stops 76 and the inclinedtracks 67, 68 forming the lifters for vthe catchers, are supported in the lowered position by engagement of thearms 75L 7l with inclined shoulders `77 on brackets 38.

.In ythe machine illustrated the .left-hand catcher is maderetractible to clear the end ofthe completed stack. `This .feature is illustrated in Figs. l2 and 13, where the `catcher is shownvmounted on rollers 86 riding on tracks -87, `maintained in this relation Yby loverstanding guard flanges 88.

A cross shaft 89 journaled in stationary bearings 90 carries a hand crank 91 at one end and is equipped with rocker larms 92 pivoted at ltheir ends, at 93, to drag links 94 pivotally connected with the frame of the catcher at 95. The rocker arms 92 and links 94 constitute toggles which can carry over from an extended position, Fig. 1, locking the catcher in the forward, operative relation, .to rthe position shown in Fig. l2, approximately a .swing of 180, locking the catcher withdrawn clear of the end of the stacked material and leaving `this end free and clear for subsequent operations,

Operation With movement of -the carriage to vthe left, the stretch of fabric held by the right-hand catcher will be carried forward, as shown in Figs. l, 2 and 6, by blade 32, and ,toward the end of such movement rollers 75 of the forward blade 31 will engage and tide up the ramps yor inclines 74 of the left-hand catcher to lift this blade, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, clean out of the path of active blade 32.

In ythis same movement, as shown in Figs. 7, 8 and 9, the catcher lifter cam tracks 67 will engage rollers 69 and lift the upward-sliding side brackets 62 carrying .the upper clamp bar 59.

In the latter part of such movement the lifting rollers 69 ride olf the upper ends `of inclined tracks 68, over onto stationary lugs or ledges 78 on .the brackets 38, then, las

shown :in Figs. 8 and 9, dropping over the inner edges of these ledges to lower the bar 59 into clamping engagement over the fold of cloth then .carried by bar 32 into position between the upper `and lower clamp members 59 and 61.

With the fold completed and held in the left-hand catcher, the carriage motion is reversed as indicated by the `arrow in Fig, l0, to withdraw the feed bar 32 and leave the fold gripped by clamp lbar 59. The rubber facing and the weight of this clamp member enable it rt-o hold the fold `without `slipping and without injuring the cloth.

At the time of reversal of movement the left-.hand feed bar 31 commences to lower over the lifting cam 74, as indicated in Fig, 10, and this bar as -it is completely lowered, as shown in Fig. l1, carries ythe cloth forward in the right-hand direction into the grip of the -right-hand catcher which operates in the same manner last described.

The movement of the carriage may be effected by hand or power, hand operation being usually preferred, to suit the speed and the operation -in general to the character of cloth being handled. In any event, the operation -is smooth and uniform and precisi-on results are attained.`

The cloth is held rmly in .the grippers without injury or marking, the sponge rubber facings of the clamp bars gripping the material with .a yielding touch,

Additional yielding effect may be provided by mounting the gripper bars in yielding fashion, as by suspending them `with bolts 79 from an angle bar suppont 80 connecting ,the blade lifting ramps 74, springs 81 surrounding the bolts permitting yielding upward movement and adjustment of the bolts limiting the extent of downward movement.

Manual lifting of the clamp bars may be effected at any time through the medium of hand levers 82, Fig. 2, piv'oted on the catcher frames at 83 and having forked inner ends 84 engaged over the stay-rods 63 connecting the opposite ramps.

The carriage is shown as having a shelf lor platform 85, Fig. l, to facilitate placing of the rolls 4or bolts of cloth Ain .the bearings provided for the same.

The clamp bars are automatically caught and held in the fully lifted relation shown in Fig. 2, by means of latches or dogs 96 pivoted on the frames `of the catchers at 97, `in position across the guide slots 65 so as to be struck by the stay-rods 63 in the lifting movement of the latter, and to .then drop back to enable the supporting 4 shoulders 98 to catch beneath the rod. To release, it is then only necessary to apply pressure on the lifting lever 82 `to take the weight off the latch and to then rock the latch to carry fthe .supporting shoulder xclear `of the cross rod` What `is claimed is:

1. In a cloth laying machine having a spreading table, a cloth laying carriage mounted to ytravel back and forth over said table and catchers at opposite ends of the travel 'of said carriage, fold clamping bars vertically movable in said catchers, means on the `carriage and catchers operable tto lift and then lower said clamping bars in the end travel of the carriage in each direction, cloth folding blades pivotally hung on said carriage in spaced relation facing each other for passage of the cloth downwardly therebetween and positioned to carry successive lfolds of cloth beneath the upraised `fold clamping bars and cooperating means .on the carriage and catchers for lifting the forward folding blade, ythe direction of carriage move- .ent considered, clear `of said clamping bars prior to entry of the other folding blade beneath the upraised fold clamping bar 'in the travel of the carriage in each direction, a push-rod in the ybase `of the carriage, `stops on the table engageable by said push-rod in the .travel ofthe carriage in opposite directions, a rock lever actuated by said push-rod, a slide adjusta-bly connected with said rock lever, a pawl actuated by said slide, a lratchet engageable by said pawl, a shaft turned by said ratchet, upright screw shafts operable by said shaft and arranged to impart lifting movement lto said cloth folding blades, said pawl being weighted and pivoted so as by such weight to be held in engagement lwith the ratchet whereby at any Itime the pawl may be manually held disengaged from the ratchet, sand a crank on said shaft to facilitate manual turning of the shaft while the pawl Yis held disengaged from the shaft.

2. In a cloth laying machine having a spreading table, a cloth laying carriage mounted to travel back and forth over said table and catchers at opposite ends `of the travel of said carriage, fold clamping bars vertically movable in said catchers, means `on the carriage and catchers operable to lift `and then lower said clamping bars in the end travel lof the carriage 'in each, direction, swing arms pivotally mounted on and suspended from the carriage, stop means for holding said arms in downwardly converging extension while permitting either of said arms to be swung upward so as at its lower end to clear the lower end of the other arm, cloth folding blades fixed on said arms at their lower ends in spaced relation facing each other for passage of .the cloth downwardly therebetween and positioncd to carry successive folds of cloth beneath the upraised fold clamping bars and cooperating means on the` carriage and catchers for swinging upward the forward swing arm, the direction of carriage movement considered, thereby swingingly vto lift the forward folding blade clear of said clamping bars prior to entry of the other `folding blade beneath the upraised fold clamping `bar in the travel of the carriage in each direction, said means for effecting the lifting and lowering `of the fold clamping bars comprising abutments connected with Ithe clamping bars, inclined tracks on ,the carriage to engage beneath said abuftments on the movement of vthe carriage toward the catchers, said tracks being .of a length to pass beyond the abutments and permit the abutments to drop .off the upper ends of the tracks in the movement toward the catchers and sai-d Itracks being pivotally supported on the carriage so as to pass over the .tops `of the -abutmenits on reverse movement of the carriage away from the catchers, there being a pair of swing [arms pivotaly mounted on and divergingly suspended from the carriage, `said tracks being xed `on the last-named swing arms, stationary ledges on the carriage at .the upper ends of said tracks positioned to temporarily support the labutments after the upper ends `of the tracks have passed from beneath the abutments and stop means for holding the last-named arms to a predetermined minimum divergence, said ledges being on sai-d stop means.

3. In a cloth laying machine having a spreading table, a cloth laying carriage mounted to travel back and forth over said table and catchers at opposite ends of the travel of said carriage, fold clamping bars vertically movable in said catchers, means on the carriage and catchers operable to lift and then lower said clamping bars in the end travel of the carriage in each direction, cloth folding blades pivotally hung on said carriage in spaced relation facing each other for passage of the cloth downwardly therebetween and positioned to carry successive folds of cloth beneath the upraised fold clamping bars and cooperating means on the carriage and catchers for lifting the forward folding blade, the direction of carriage movement considered, clear of said clamping bars prior to entry of the other folding blade beneath the upraised fold clamping bar in the travel of the carriage in each direction, hand levers pivotally mounted in the catchers and connected to lift the fold clamping bars independently of the means aforesaid and a pivoted latch dog for detaining said fold clamping bars in the fully elevated position to which they are lifted by said hand levers, said dog having a handle manually swingable to release the fold clamping bars from detention by the dog.

4. In a cloth laying machine having a spreading table, a cloth laying carriage mounted to travel back and forth over said table and catchers at opposite ends of the travel of said carriage, one of said catchers being mounted for travel toward and away from the carriage and toggle means for advancing and retracting said catcher and for retaining the catcher in the position to which it has been advanced toward the carriage.

5. In a cloth laying machine having a spreading table, a cloth laying carriage mounted to travel back and forth over said table and catchers at opposite ends of the travel of said carriage, said catchers having vertical guide slots, stay-rods guided in said slots, fold clamping bars connected with said stay-rods, hand levers pivoted on the catchers and connected with said stay-rods and latches of said carriage, fold clamping bars vertically movable in said catchers, means on the carriage and catchers operable to lift `and then lower said clamping bars in the end travel of the carriage in each direction, swing arms pivotally mounted on and suspended from the carriage, stop means for holding said arms in downwardly converging extension while permitting either of said arms to be swung upward so as at its lower end to clear the lower end of the other arm, cloth folding blades xed on said arms at their lower ends in spaced relation facing each other for passage of the cloth downwardly therebetween and positioned to carry successive folds of cloth beneath the upraised fold clamping bars, cooperating means on the lcarriage and catchers for swinging upward the forward swing arm, the direction of carriage movement considered, thereby swingingly to lift the forward folding blade clear of said clamping bars prior to entry of the other folding blade beneath the upraised fold clamping bar in the travel of the carriage in each direction, said means for effecting the lifting and lowering of the fold clamping bars comprising abutments connected with the clampin-g bars, inclined tracks on the carriage to engage beneath said abutments on the movement of the carriage toward the catchers, there being a pair of downwardly extended and diverging swing arms, said tracks being xed at the lower ends of the last-named swing arms and being of a length to pass beyond the abutments and permit the abutments to drop off the upper ends of the tracks in the movement toward the catchers and said last-named swing arms being so pivotally mounted as to permit said tracks to pass over the tops of the abutments on reverse movement of the carriage away from the catchers, a frame guided for vertical movement in the carriage and means operable in the movement of the carriage in opposite directions to lift said frame, both said pairs of swing arms being hung from said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 819,548 Isaacs et al. May 1, 1906 964,124 Shapera July 12, 1910 1,265,452 Isaacs May 7, 1918 1,458,896 Soylian June 12, 1923 1,866,088 Cutter July 5, 1932 

